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The public distribution system and food security

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿವರಣೆ

Agriculture and food security · Part 2 / 3 · Fact-checked on 26 October 2026 · how we check

Written with AI from the sources listed at the bottom of this page, then fact-checked by a separate AI.

How public distribution grew from wartime rationing into a legal right: the Centre-state division of work, the Revamped and Targeted PDS, Antyodaya Anna Yojana, the National Food Security Act, 2013 and its entitlements, free grain under PMGKAY, digitised delivery and One Nation One Ration Card, the Shanta Kumar Committee, and the food subsidy.

Each idea is explained first in Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ), ending with the English and Hindi exam terms, followed by the same point in exam English. UPSC Prelims is in English or Hindi, so understand it in Kannada and revise it in English.

ಮೊದಲ ಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ರೈತನ ಹೊಲದಿಂದ ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ಗೋದಾಮಿನವರೆಗೆ ಧಾನ್ಯದ ಪಯಣ ನೋಡಿದೆವು. ಈಗ ಅದೇ ಧಾನ್ಯ ಗೋದಾಮಿನಿಂದ ನಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಯವರೆಗೆ ಹೇಗೆ ಬರುತ್ತದೆ ನೋಡೋಣ. ಇದರ ಹೆಸರು ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ವಿತರಣಾ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆ — ಊರಿನ ಪಡಿತರ ಅಂಗಡಿ ಅದರ ಕೊನೆಯ ಮೆಟ್ಟಿಲು. ಮೊದಲು ಇದು ನಗರಗಳ ಪಡಿತರ ಮಾತ್ರ; ಈಗ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಆಹಾರ ಭದ್ರತಾ ಕಾಯ್ದೆ ಕೊಡುವ ಕಾನೂನು ಹಕ್ಕು, 2023ರಿಂದ ಉಚಿತವೂ ಹೌದು. ಈ ಧಾನ್ಯಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಬಜೆಟ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಡುವ ಖರ್ಚೇ ಆಹಾರ ಸಬ್ಸಿಡಿ. (→ English: public distribution system · National Food Security Act · food subsidy · हिन्दी: सार्वजनिक वितरण प्रणाली · राष्ट्रीय खाद्य सुरक्षा अधिनियम · खाद्य सब्सिडी)

In exam EnglishPart 1 followed grain from the farmer's field into government godowns. This part follows the same grain out again, to the households that receive it. The public distribution system is the network through which the Centre and the states supply wheat, rice and some coarse grains at low prices, and since 2023 free of cost, to most families in India. Over seventy years it has changed from a ration system for city dwellers into a legal entitlement under the National Food Security Act, 2013. The part traces that journey, the reforms in how grain reaches people, the main official review of the system, and the bill the Union Budget pays for it, the food subsidy. Part 3 then turns to farm credit, insurance and land.

ಎರಡನೇ ಮಹಾಯುದ್ಧದ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ನಗರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಆಹಾರದ ಕೊರತೆ ಬಂದಾಗ ಪಡಿತರ ಶುರುವಾಯಿತು. 1960ರ ಆಹಾರ ಬಿಕ್ಕಟ್ಟಿನ ನಂತರ ಬಹಳ ಬೆಳೆಯಿತು. 1992ರವರೆಗೆ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಒಂದೇ ಬೆಲೆ — ಶ್ರೀಮಂತನಿಗೂ ಕೂಲಿಯವನಿಗೂ ಒಂದೇ ಸಬ್ಸಿಡಿ; ಹಳ್ಳಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಮತ್ತು ಬಡ ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಕಡಿಮೆಯೇ ತಲುಪುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಕೆಲಸದ ಹಂಚಿಕೆ ಹೀಗೆ: ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಧಾನ್ಯ ಖರೀದಿಸಿ, ರಾಜ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಪಾಲು ಕೊಟ್ಟು, ಕೇಂದ್ರ ವಿತರಣಾ ಬೆಲೆ ನಿಗದಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ; ರಾಜ್ಯ ಯಾರಿಗೆ ಚೀಟಿ ಕೊಡಬೇಕು ಎಂದು ನೋಡಿ ನ್ಯಾಯಬೆಲೆ ಅಂಗಡಿ ನಡೆಸುತ್ತದೆ — ಇಬ್ಬರೂ ಸೇರಿ ಒಂದೇ ಅಡುಗೆ ಮಾಡಿದಂತೆ. (→ English: central issue price · fair price shop · हिन्दी: केंद्रीय निर्गम मूल्य · उचित दर दुकान)

In exam EnglishPublic distribution began as rationing in cities during the Second World War, when food was scarce and prices were rising fast. After independence it was kept as a way to keep grain prices in check, and it grew sharply after the food crises of the mid-1960s, when the Food Corporation of India and the price commission were set up and domestic procurement began to replace imported grain. Until 1992 the system was universal: any household with a ration card could buy at the same subsidised price. That design had clear weaknesses. It served towns better than villages, reached poorer states less than richer ones, and spent the same subsidy on a rich family as on a hungry one. The division of work set then still holds: the Centre procures grain, allocates it to each state, moves it to state depots and fixes the central issue price; the states identify the families, issue ration cards, license the fair price shop network and supervise distribution.

ಸಬ್ಸಿಡಿ ನಿಜವಾಗಿ ಬಡವರಿಗೇ ತಲುಪಲಿ ಎಂದು 1992ರಲ್ಲಿ ಬರ, ಗುಡ್ಡಗಾಡು, ಬುಡಕಟ್ಟು ಪ್ರದೇಶಗಳಿಗೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಕೊಟ್ಟರು. 1997ರಲ್ಲಿ ಗುರಿ ಆಧಾರಿತ ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ವಿತರಣಾ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆ ಬಂತು: ಬಡತನ ರೇಖೆಗಿಂತ ಕೆಳಗಿನ ಬಿಪಿಎಲ್ ಕುಟುಂಬಗಳಿಗೆ ತುಂಬಾ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಬೆಲೆ, ಎಪಿಎಲ್ ಕುಟುಂಬಗಳಿಗೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚುಕಡಿಮೆ ಪೂರ್ತಿ ಬೆಲೆ. ಆದರೆ ಪಟ್ಟಿ ಮಾಡುವಾಗ ಎರಡು ತಪ್ಪುಗಳು: ನಿಜವಾದ ಬಡ ಕುಟುಂಬದ ಹೆಸರು ಬಿಟ್ಟುಹೋಗುವುದು, ಸ್ಥಿತಿವಂತರ ಹೆಸರು ಸೇರುವುದು. ನಕಲಿ ಚೀಟಿಗಳಿಂದ ಧಾನ್ಯ ತೆರೆದ ಮಾರುಕಟ್ಟೆಗೆ ಸೋರಿತು — ಜರಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನೀರು ಹಾಕಿದಂತೆ. (→ English: targeted public distribution system · हिन्दी: लक्षित सार्वजनिक वितरण प्रणाली)

In exam EnglishThe first attempt to aim the subsidy better was the Revamped PDS of June 1992, which gave larger quantities at lower prices in drought-prone, desert, hilly and tribal blocks, using area rather than income to pick beneficiaries. The bigger change came in June 1997 with the targeted public distribution system. Households were now split into those below the poverty line (BPL), who got grain at a much lower price, and those above it (APL), who paid close to the full cost. The quantity for a BPL family was later raised to 35 kg a month. Targeting saved money but created two kinds of error. Exclusion errors left out poor families whose names never reached the BPL list; inclusion errors put better-off families on it. With APL prices near the open market, APL buying fell, unsold grain piled up in godowns, and grain meant for BPL families often leaked to the open market through bogus cards.

ಬಿಪಿಎಲ್ ಕುಟುಂಬಗಳಲ್ಲೂ ಕೆಲವರಿಗೆ ತಮ್ಮ ಪಾಲು ಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಶಕ್ತಿ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ — ಕೆಲಸ ಸಿಗದ ವೃದ್ಧರು, ವಿಧವೆಯರು, ಭೂಮಿಯಿಲ್ಲದ ಕೂಲಿಕಾರರು. ಅವರಿಗಾಗಿ 2000 ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಅಂತ್ಯೋದಯ ಅನ್ನ ಯೋಜನೆ ಬಂತು: ಕುಟುಂಬಕ್ಕೆ ತಿಂಗಳಿಗೆ 35 ಕಿಲೋ, ಗೋಧಿ ಕಿಲೋಗೆ 2 ರೂಪಾಯಿ, ಅಕ್ಕಿ ಕಿಲೋಗೆ 3 ರೂಪಾಯಿ. ಇದು ಬಡವರಲ್ಲಿ ಅತಿ ಬಡವರ ಸಣ್ಣ ಗುಂಪು, ಬೇರೆ ವರ್ಗಕ್ಕೆ ಬೇರೆ ಯೋಜನೆ ಅಲ್ಲ. 2013ರ ಕಾಯ್ದೆಯೂ ಇದನ್ನು ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಉಳಿಸಿತು — ಇವರಿಗೆ ಕುಟುಂಬಕ್ಕೆ 35 ಕಿಲೋ, ಉಳಿದವರಿಗೆ ತಲೆಗೆ ಲೆಕ್ಕ. (→ English: Antyodaya Anna Yojana · हिन्दी: अंत्योदय अन्न योजना)

In exam EnglishEven within the BPL group, the poorest families could not always afford their quota. Antyodaya Anna Yojana, launched in December 2000, was carved out of the BPL list for them. It began with the poorest one crore BPL families and was widened in later years. Each Antyodaya family received 35 kg of grain a month at very low prices, Rs 2 a kg for wheat and Rs 3 a kg for rice. Households headed by widows, the sick or the aged with no assured means of support, landless labourers and primitive tribal households were among the groups it set out to reach. The Antyodaya category was so well established that the 2013 Act kept it intact: an Antyodaya household still has a family-level entitlement of 35 kg, while every other covered household gets grain per person. Students often confuse the two: Antyodaya is a subset of the poor, not a separate scheme for a different group.

ಯೋಜನೆ ಆದರೆ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಬೇಕೆಂದಾಗ ನಿಲ್ಲಿಸಬಹುದು; ಹಕ್ಕು ಆದರೆ ಕೇಳಿ ಪಡೆಯಬಹುದು. 2001ರಲ್ಲಿ ಗೋದಾಮುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಧಾನ್ಯ ಕೊಳೆಯುತ್ತಿರುವಾಗ ಬರಪೀಡಿತ ಪ್ರದೇಶಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಜನ ಹಸಿದಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಎಂದು ಸುಪ್ರೀಂ ಕೋರ್ಟ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಮೊಕದ್ದಮೆ ಹೂಡಲಾಯಿತು. 'ಬದುಕುವ ಹಕ್ಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಆಹಾರದ ಹಕ್ಕೂ ಇದೆ' ಎಂದು ಕೋರ್ಟ್ ಹೇಳಿ, ಶಾಲೆಯ ಬಿಸಿಯೂಟದಂಥವನ್ನು ಹಕ್ಕುಗಳನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮಾಡಿತು. 2013ರಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಸತ್ತು ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಆಹಾರ ಭದ್ರತಾ ಕಾಯ್ದೆ ಮಾಡಿತು: ಹಳ್ಳಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಶೇ 75ರವರೆಗೆ, ನಗರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಶೇ 50ರವರೆಗೆ ಜನರಿಗೆ. ಎಷ್ಟು ಜನ ಎಂದು ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಹೇಳುತ್ತದೆ, ಯಾರು ಎಂದು ರಾಜ್ಯ ಆಯ್ಕೆ ಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ. (→ English: National Food Security Act · हिन्दी: राष्ट्रीय खाद्य सुरक्षा अधिनियम)

In exam EnglishThe move from scheme to right came through the courts and then Parliament. Article 47, a Directive Principle, makes raising the level of nutrition one of the State's primary duties, but it cannot be enforced in court. In People's Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India, a case filed in 2001 when godowns were overflowing while people went hungry in drought-hit areas, the Supreme Court read the right to food into the right to life under Article 21 and, through interim orders, turned schemes such as school meals into entitlements. The National Food Security Act, 2013 then gave the right a statute. It covers up to 75 per cent of the rural and up to 50 per cent of the urban population, about two-thirds of the people overall. The Centre fixes the share of each state's population to be covered; the state identifies which households qualify. Covered households fall into two groups, Antyodaya households and priority households.

ಈ ಕಾಯ್ದೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಪಡಿತರ ಚೀಟಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾವ ಹಕ್ಕು ಇರಬೇಕು ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಆದ್ಯತಾ ಕುಟುಂಬದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಬ್ಬರಿಗೂ ತಿಂಗಳಿಗೆ 5 ಕಿಲೋ — ನಾಲ್ವರಿರುವ ಮನೆಗೆ 20 ಕಿಲೋ; ಅಂತ್ಯೋದಯ ಮನೆಗೆ ಒಟ್ಟು 35 ಕಿಲೋ. ಗರ್ಭಿಣಿಯರಿಗೆ, ಹಾಲುಣಿಸುವ ತಾಯಂದಿರಿಗೆ ಅಂಗನವಾಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಊಟ, ಕನಿಷ್ಠ 6,000 ರೂಪಾಯಿ ಹೆರಿಗೆ ಸಹಾಯ; ಸಣ್ಣ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಅಂಗನವಾಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ, ಶಾಲಾ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಬಿಸಿಯೂಟ. ಧಾನ್ಯ ಕೊಡದಿದ್ದರೆ ಹಣದ ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಭತ್ಯೆ ಕೇಳಬಹುದು. ಚೀಟಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮನೆಯ ಮುಖ್ಯಸ್ಥೆ ಮನೆಯ ಹಿರಿಯ ಮಹಿಳೆ — 18 ವರ್ಷ ತುಂಬಿದವರು. ದೂರುಗಳಿಗೆ ಜಿಲ್ಲಾ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿ, ಮೇಲ್ವಿಚಾರಣೆಗೆ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಆಹಾರ ಆಯೋಗ. (→ English: food security allowance · State Food Commission · हिन्दी: खाद्य सुरक्षा भत्ता · राज्य खाद्य आयोग)

In exam EnglishThe Act spells out what each person can claim. A priority household gets 5 kg of grain per person a month and an Antyodaya household 35 kg per household, at prices the Act's first Schedule fixed at no more than Rs 3 a kg for rice, Rs 2 for wheat and Rs 1 for coarse grains. The Act reaches beyond the ration shop. Pregnant women and nursing mothers are entitled to a free meal at the anganwadi and maternity benefit of at least Rs 6,000. Children from six months to six years get a free, age-appropriate meal through the anganwadi, and children of six to fourteen a free midday meal in school. If the state fails to supply the grain or meals, the person can claim a food security allowance in cash. The eldest woman of the household, aged at least 18, is treated as its head for issuing the ration card. Each district has a grievance redressal officer, and each state a State Food Commission to monitor the Act.

What the National Food Security Act, 2013 entitles
Who	Entitlement	Where delivered
Priority household	5 kg of grain per person a month	Fair price shop
Antyodaya household	35 kg of grain per household a month	Fair price shop
Pregnant women and nursing mothers	Free meal and maternity benefit of at least Rs 6,000	Anganwadi
Children 6 months to 6 years	Free age-appropriate meal	Anganwadi
Children 6 to 14 years	Free midday meal	School
Anyone not supplied	Food security allowance	Paid by the state government

2020ರ ಲಾಕ್‌ಡೌನ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲಸ ನಿಂತಾಗ ಪ್ರತಿ ಪಡಿತರ ಫಲಾನುಭವಿಗೂ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಪಾಲಿನ ಮೇಲೆ ತಿಂಗಳಿಗೆ 5 ಕಿಲೋ ಹೆಚ್ಚುವರಿ ಉಚಿತವಾಗಿ ಕೊಟ್ಟರು — ಇದೇ ಪ್ರಧಾನಮಂತ್ರಿ ಗರೀಬ್ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ್ ಅನ್ನ ಯೋಜನೆ. 2022 ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್‌ಗೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚುವರಿ ಪಾಲು ನಿಂತಿತು. ಆದರೆ 2023 ಜನವರಿಯಿಂದ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಪಾಲೇ ಪೂರ್ತಿ ಉಚಿತವಾಯಿತು, 2024ರಿಂದ ಐದು ವರ್ಷ ವಿಸ್ತರಿಸಲಾಯಿತು. ಗಮನಿಸಿ: ಫಲಾನುಭವಿಗಳ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚಲಿಲ್ಲ, ಬೆಲೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಸೊನ್ನೆಯಾಯಿತು. ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಇಡೀ ಖರ್ಚು ಕೇಂದ್ರದ ಮೇಲೆ. (→ English: Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana · हिन्दी: प्रधानमंत्री गरीब कल्याण अन्न योजना)

In exam EnglishThe Covid-19 lockdown of 2020 tested the system. Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), launched in April 2020, every person covered by the Act received an extra 5 kg of grain a month free, on top of the normal ration. The extra grain ran in phases until December 2022. From 1 January 2023 the government changed course: the extra quota ended, but the regular NFSA grain itself became free for all Antyodaya and priority households, under the PMGKAY name. In November 2023 the Union Cabinet extended free grain for five years from 1 January 2024. Two points are often confused. First, the number of people covered did not change; only the price fell to zero. Second, making grain free shifted the whole cost to the Centre's food subsidy, since there is no longer any central issue price to recover.

From universal rationing to free grain
Stage	Year	Who is covered	Key feature
Universal PDS	1940s to 1992	Any ration card holder	Same subsidised price for all; urban bias
Revamped PDS	1992	Drought-prone, desert, hilly and tribal blocks	Targeting by area
Targeted PDS	1997	BPL and APL households	Targeting by income; BPL quota later 35 kg
Antyodaya Anna Yojana	2000	The poorest within BPL	35 kg per family at Rs 2 (wheat) and Rs 3 (rice) a kg
National Food Security Act	2013	Up to 75% rural, 50% urban	Legal right; 5 kg per person, 35 kg per AAY household
PMGKAY	2020; free NFSA grain from 2023	All NFSA beneficiaries	Extra 5 kg free in 2020-22; regular ration free from 1 Jan 2023

ಈಗ ಪಡಿತರ ಅಂಗಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬೆರಳಚ್ಚು ಯಂತ್ರ ನೋಡಿರುತ್ತೀರಿ — ಅದೇ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಬದಲಾವಣೆ. ಚೀಟಿಗಳನ್ನೆಲ್ಲ ಕಂಪ್ಯೂಟರ್‌ಗೆ ಏರಿಸಿ ಆಧಾರ್ ಜೊತೆ ಜೋಡಿಸಿದರು, ನಕಲಿ ಚೀಟಿಗಳು ಹೋದವು. ಅದರಿಂದಲೇ ಒಂದು ದೇಶ ಒಂದು ಪಡಿತರ ಚೀಟಿ ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಯಿತು: ಉದಾಹರಣೆಗೆ, ಬಿಹಾರದಿಂದ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿಗೆ ಕೆಲಸಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದ ಕಾರ್ಮಿಕ ಇಲ್ಲೇ ತನ್ನ ಪಾಲು ಪಡೆಯಬಹುದು, ಉಳಿದದ್ದು ಊರಲ್ಲಿ ಕುಟುಂಬ ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತದೆ. ಚಂಡೀಗಢ, ಪುದುಚೇರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಧಾನ್ಯದ ಬದಲು ನೇರ ಲಾಭ ವರ್ಗಾವಣೆ ಮೂಲಕ ಬ್ಯಾಂಕ್ ಖಾತೆಗೆ ಹಣ. 2021ರಿಂದ ರಕ್ತಹೀನತೆ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಮಾಡಲು ಕಬ್ಬಿಣ, ಫೋಲಿಕ್ ಆಮ್ಲ, ವಿಟಮಿನ್ ಬಿ12 ಸೇರಿಸಿದ ಅಕ್ಕಿ. (→ English: One Nation One Ration Card · direct benefit transfer · fortified rice · हिन्दी: एक राष्ट्र एक राशन कार्ड · प्रत्यक्ष लाभ अंतरण · फ़ोर्टिफ़ाइड चावल)

In exam EnglishThe biggest change in the last fifteen years has been in how the ration is handed over rather than what it contains. Under end-to-end computerisation, ration card lists were digitised and linked with Aadhaar, which weeded out large numbers of duplicate and ghost cards, and electronic point-of-sale (ePoS) machines at fair price shops now check the buyer's fingerprint before grain is released. Digitisation made portability possible. One Nation One Ration Card began with clusters of states in 2019 and had covered every state and Union Territory by 2022: a migrant worker from Bihar can draw his ration in Bengaluru, while his family draws the rest at home. Two other reforms changed the product itself. In Chandigarh and Puducherry, cash is paid by direct benefit transfer in place of grain from 2015. And from 2021 rice in the PDS and other food schemes was gradually replaced by rice fortified with iron, folic acid and vitamin B12, to fight anaemia.

2015ರಲ್ಲಿ ಶಾಂತಾ ಕುಮಾರ್ ಸಮಿತಿ ಎಫ್‌ಸಿಐಯನ್ನು ಆಳವಾಗಿ ಪರಿಶೀಲಿಸಿತು. ಎರಡು ಕಹಿ ಸತ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಹೇಳಿತು: ಒಟ್ಟು ರೈತರಲ್ಲಿ ಶೇ 6 ಮಂದಿ ಮಾತ್ರ ಸರ್ಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಧಾನ್ಯ ಮಾರಿದರು — ಉಳಿದವರಿಗೆ ಕನಿಷ್ಠ ಬೆಂಬಲ ಬೆಲೆ ಕಾಗದದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾತ್ರ. ಪಡಿತರ ಧಾನ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಶೇ 40ರಿಂದ 50ರಷ್ಟು ಮನೆಗೆ ತಲುಪಲೇ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಶಿಫಾರಸುಗಳು: ಫಲಾನುಭವಿಗಳನ್ನು ಶೇ 40ಕ್ಕೆ ಇಳಿಸುವುದು, ದೊಡ್ಡ ನಗರಗಳಿಂದ ಶುರುಮಾಡಿ ನಗದು ವರ್ಗಾವಣೆ, ಪಂಜಾಬ್‌ನಂಥ ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳ ಖರೀದಿಯನ್ನು ಅವರಿಗೇ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಎಫ್‌ಸಿಐ ಪೂರ್ವದ ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳ ರೈತರತ್ತ ಹೋಗುವುದು. ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ಇಳಿಸುವ ಶಿಫಾರಸನ್ನು ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಜಾರಿಗೆ ತರಲಿಲ್ಲ. (→ English: Shanta Kumar Committee · हिन्दी: शांता कुमार समिति)

In exam EnglishThe most cited official review of the system is the report of the High Level Committee on Reorienting the Role and Restructuring of the Food Corporation of India, chaired by Shanta Kumar, submitted in January 2015. Its findings cut both ways. On the farm side, it found that only about 6 per cent of farmers sold grain to procurement agencies, so most never benefited from MSP. On the consumer side, it relied on household survey data for 2011-12 to estimate that a large share of PDS grain, roughly 40 to 50 per cent, never reached the intended households. Its main recommendations were: bring NFSA coverage down to about 40 per cent of the population; move gradually to cash transfers, starting with large cities; let FCI hand over procurement in states with well-developed systems, such as Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, and focus instead on eastern states where farmers sell below MSP; and use negotiable warehouse receipts and private storage. The coverage cut was never adopted.

ಈ ಖರ್ಚೆಲ್ಲ ಯಾರದು? ಎಫ್‌ಸಿಐಗೆ ಒಂದು ಕ್ವಿಂಟಾಲ್ ಅಕ್ಕಿಗೆ ಆಗುವ ಒಟ್ಟು ಖರ್ಚು — ರೈತನಿಗೆ ಕೊಟ್ಟ ಕನಿಷ್ಠ ಬೆಂಬಲ ಬೆಲೆ, ಮಾರುಕಟ್ಟೆ ಶುಲ್ಕ, ಗೋಣಿಚೀಲ, ಗೋದಾಮು, ಲಾರಿ ಸಾಗಣೆ — ಇದನ್ನು ಆರ್ಥಿಕ ವೆಚ್ಚ ಎನ್ನುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅದರಿಂದ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ವಿತರಣಾ ಬೆಲೆ ಕಳೆದರೆ ಉಳಿದದ್ದೇ ಆಹಾರ ಸಬ್ಸಿಡಿ. ಈಗ ವಿತರಣಾ ಬೆಲೆ ಸೊನ್ನೆ, ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಇಡೀ ಖರ್ಚು ಕೇಂದ್ರದ್ದು — 2025-26ರ ಬಜೆಟ್ ಅಂದಾಜಿನಲ್ಲಿ 2 ಲಕ್ಷ ಕೋಟಿ ರೂಪಾಯಿ ದಾಟಿತು. ಅದಕ್ಕೇ ಚರ್ಚೆ: ಹಣ ಕೊಟ್ಟರೆ ಸೋರಿಕೆ ಕಡಿಮೆ, ಕುಟುಂಬ ಬೇಕಾದ್ದು ಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ; ಧಾನ್ಯ ಕೊಟ್ಟರೆ ಬೆಲೆ ಏರಿದರೂ ಭಯವಿಲ್ಲ, ಬ್ಯಾಂಕ್ ದೂರವಿದ್ದರೂ ತೊಂದರೆಯಿಲ್ಲ, ರೈತರಿಂದ ಖರೀದಿಯೂ ಉಳಿಯುತ್ತದೆ. (→ English: food subsidy · central issue price · economic cost · हिन्दी: खाद्य सब्सिडी · केंद्रीय निर्गम मूल्य · आर्थिक लागत)

In exam EnglishWho pays for all this? The food subsidy is the gap between what grain costs the government and what it recovers. FCI's economic cost of a quintal of wheat or rice includes the MSP paid to the farmer, the procurement incidentals such as mandi charges and bags, and the cost of storing, moving and distributing it. The Centre pays FCI the difference between that economic cost and the central issue price, and reimburses states that procure under the decentralised system. With NFSA grain now free, the central issue price is zero and the Centre carries the whole economic cost of grain issued to beneficiaries. The bill is large: the Union Budget 2025-26 estimated the food subsidy at a little over Rs 2 lakh crore. This is why the debate on cash versus grain never ends. Cash avoids storage losses and leakage and lets families choose what to eat; grain protects them from food inflation, does not depend on a bank, and supports the procurement that farmers rely on.

ಇಡೀ ಕಥೆ ಮೂರು ಹೆಜ್ಜೆ: ಮೊದಲು ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಒಂದೇ ಪಡಿತರ — ಆದರೆ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಸಮನಾಗಿ ತಲುಪಲಿಲ್ಲ; 1997, 2000ರಲ್ಲಿ ಬಡವರಿಗೇ ಎಂದು ಗುರಿ ಇಟ್ಟರು — ಕೆಲವು ಬಡವರು ಪಟ್ಟಿಯಿಂದ ಬಿಟ್ಟುಹೋದರು; 2013ರಲ್ಲಿ ಆಹಾರ ಕಾನೂನು ಹಕ್ಕಾಯಿತು, 2023ರಿಂದ ಉಚಿತ. ಮೂರೂ ಹಂತಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಖರೀದಿಸಿ, ಹಂಚಿ, ಹಣ ಕಟ್ಟುತ್ತದೆ; ರಾಜ್ಯ ಕುಟುಂಬಗಳನ್ನು ಆರಿಸಿ ಅಂಗಡಿ ನಡೆಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಇನ್ನೂ ಬಗೆಹರಿಯದ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳು: ಎಷ್ಟು ಜನರಿಗೆ ಕೊಡಬೇಕು, ಧಾನ್ಯವೋ ಹಣವೋ, ವರ್ಷಕ್ಕೆ 2 ಲಕ್ಷ ಕೋಟಿ ರೂಪಾಯಿಗೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಆಹಾರ ಸಬ್ಸಿಡಿಯನ್ನು ಹೇಗೆ ಹೊರುವುದು. (→ English: food subsidy · हिन्दी: खाद्य सब्सिडी)

In exam EnglishPut together, the story has three stages. A universal ration of the 1950s to 1980s reached people unevenly; targeting in 1997 and Antyodaya in 2000 aimed the subsidy at the poor but excluded many of them; the 2013 Act turned food into a legal right for about two-thirds of the population, and free grain from 2023 removed the price altogether. Across all three stages the same division of work has held, with the Centre buying, allocating and paying and the states identifying families and running the shops. The reforms since 2013 have mostly been about delivery: digitised cards, Aadhaar, ePoS, portability and fortified rice. The open questions are the ones the Shanta Kumar Committee raised: how many people should be covered, whether cash should replace grain, and how to pay a food subsidy of over Rs 2 lakh crore a year. Part 3 returns to the farmer, with credit, income support, insurance and land.

Exam traps

Antyodaya Anna Yojana (2000) is a subset of the poorest BPL families, not a separate scheme for a different group; under the NFSA its entitlement is 35 kg per household, while priority households get 5 kg per person.
The NFSA covers up to 75 per cent of the rural and up to 50 per cent of the urban population (about two-thirds overall), not 75 per cent of all people.
The Centre decides how much of each state's population is covered; the state identifies which households are covered.
From 1 January 2023 the regular NFSA grain became free under PMGKAY; the number of beneficiaries did not rise. The extra 5 kg of 2020-22 has ended.
The eldest woman of at least 18 years is head of the household for the ration card under the NFSA; it is not the eldest member of either sex.
Maternity benefit under the NFSA is at least Rs 6,000; it is a cash entitlement, separate from the grain quota.
The Shanta Kumar Committee (2015) recommended cutting NFSA coverage to about 40 per cent and found that only about 6 per cent of farmers sold to procurement agencies; the coverage cut was not adopted.
Food subsidy = economic cost of grain minus the central issue price; with free grain the CIP is zero and the Centre bears the whole economic cost.

Recap

PDS began as wartime urban rationing and grew after the food crises of the mid-1960s; it was universal until 1992.
Centre: procures, allocates, transports to state depots, fixes the central issue price. States: identify families, issue cards, run fair price shops.
Revamped PDS (1992) targeted backward areas; Targeted PDS (1997) split households into BPL and APL.
Antyodaya Anna Yojana (December 2000): the poorest within BPL, 35 kg per family at Rs 2 (wheat) and Rs 3 (rice) a kg.
Right to food: Article 47 (DPSP); PUCL v. Union of India (2001) read it into Article 21; NFSA 2013 made it statutory.
NFSA: up to 75% rural, 50% urban; 5 kg per person (priority) or 35 kg per household (AAY); maternity benefit of at least Rs 6,000; meals for children; food security allowance; eldest woman as head; State Food Commission.
PMGKAY: extra 5 kg free from April 2020 to December 2022; regular NFSA grain free from 1 January 2023, extended five years from 1 January 2024.
Delivery reforms: digitised cards, Aadhaar, ePoS, One Nation One Ration Card (2019 to 2022), DBT in Chandigarh and Puducherry (2015), fortified rice (from 2021).
Shanta Kumar Committee (January 2015): 6% of farmers sell to procurement agencies; 40-50% PDS leakage; cut coverage to 40%, cash transfers, FCI to focus on eastern states.
Food subsidy = economic cost minus CIP; a little over Rs 2 lakh crore in the Union Budget 2025-26 estimates.

Practice questions

Q1. Under the National Food Security Act, 2013, the monthly entitlement of an Antyodaya Anna Yojana household is:

5 kg of grain per household
5 kg of grain per person
35 kg of grain per household
35 kg of grain per person

Show answer

Answer: C. 35 kg of grain per household

An Antyodaya household keeps a family-level entitlement of 35 kg a month. 5 kg per person is the entitlement of priority households, not Antyodaya ones; 5 kg per household is far below either entitlement; and 35 kg per person is no entitlement under the Act.

Q2. Consider the following statements about the National Food Security Act, 2013:
1. It covers up to 75 per cent of the rural population and up to 50 per cent of the urban population.
2. The households to be covered in a state are identified by the Central Government.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong: the Centre fixes the share of each state's population to be covered, but the state government identifies the households. So '2 only' and 'Both' are wrong, and 'Neither' is wrong because statement 1 is correct.

Q3. Under the National Food Security Act, 2013, who is to be treated as the head of the household for issuing ration cards?

The eldest member of the household
The eldest woman of the household who is at least 18 years old
The earning member with the highest income
Any adult member chosen by the gram sabha

Show answer

Answer: B. The eldest woman of the household who is at least 18 years old

The Act names the eldest woman aged 18 or above as head of the household for ration cards, to strengthen women's control over food. The eldest member of either sex, the top earner and a gram sabha nominee are not what the Act provides.

Q4. Consider the following statements about the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY):
1. From 1 January 2023, grain under the National Food Security Act is supplied free of cost to Antyodaya and priority households.
2. The move to free grain in 2023 increased the number of people covered under the National Food Security Act.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong: only the price changed, to zero; the coverage of the Act stayed the same. So '2 only' and 'Both' are wrong, and 'Neither' is wrong because statement 1 is correct.

Q5. Match the following:
A. Targeted Public Distribution System
B. Antyodaya Anna Yojana
C. National Food Security Act
D. Revamped Public Distribution System
1. 1992
2. 1997
3. 2000
4. 2013
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1
A-1, B-3, C-4, D-2
A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1
A-3, B-2, C-4, D-1

Show answer

Answer: A. A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1

Revamped PDS came in 1992, Targeted PDS in 1997, Antyodaya in 2000 and the Act in 2013, giving A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1. The second code swaps the Revamped and Targeted PDS; the third swaps Antyodaya and the Act; the fourth swaps Targeted PDS and Antyodaya.

Q6. With reference to the High Level Committee on restructuring the Food Corporation of India (Shanta Kumar Committee, 2015), consider the following statements:
1. It found that only a small share of farmers, about 6 per cent, sold grain to procurement agencies.
2. It recommended raising coverage under the National Food Security Act to the whole population.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong: the committee recommended reducing coverage to about 40 per cent, the opposite of universal coverage. So '2 only' and 'Both' are wrong, and 'Neither' is wrong because statement 1 is correct.

Q7. The food subsidy borne by the Union Government on grain supplied through the public distribution system is best described as:

The minimum support price paid to farmers
The economic cost of grain minus the central issue price
The central issue price minus the minimum support price
The market price of grain minus the minimum support price

Show answer

Answer: B. The economic cost of grain minus the central issue price

The subsidy is the gap between what grain costs FCI (MSP plus procurement, storage and distribution costs) and what is recovered at the central issue price. The MSP alone is only one part of the economic cost; CIP minus MSP would be negative and is not a subsidy measure; and the market price plays no part in the formula.

Q8. Consider the following statements:
1. One Nation One Ration Card allows a beneficiary to draw entitled grain from any fair price shop in the country.
2. Cash transfer in place of grain under the public distribution system was introduced in Chandigarh and Puducherry.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

Show answer

Answer: C. Both 1 and 2

Both are correct. Portability under One Nation One Ration Card lets a migrant draw grain anywhere, and Chandigarh and Puducherry have paid cash by direct benefit transfer in place of grain since 2015. So '1 only', '2 only' and 'Neither' each leave out a correct statement.

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Sources

The National Food Security Act, 2013 (sections 3–8, 9–10, 13, 15–16 and Schedules I–II) — https://www.indiacode.nic.in
Department of Food and Public Distribution: Targeted PDS (1997), Antyodaya Anna Yojana (2000), end-to-end computerisation of TPDS, One Nation One Ration Card, cash transfer of food subsidy in Union Territories (2015), PMGKAY (2020; free grain from 1 January 2023, extended in November 2023), rice fortification (PIB releases) — https://dfpd.gov.in
Report of the High Level Committee on Reorienting the Role and Restructuring of Food Corporation of India (chair: Shanta Kumar), January 2015 — https://fci.gov.in
Supreme Court of India: People's Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 196 of 2001, interim orders — https://digiscr.sci.gov.in
Constitution of India, Articles 21 and 47 — https://legislative.gov.in/constitution-of-india/
Union Budget 2025-26, Expenditure Budget: Department of Food and Public Distribution, food subsidy — https://www.indiabudget.gov.in
Economic Survey, Government of India: chapters on agriculture and food management — https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/economicsurvey/